Friday, March 7, 2014

Bick's Burgers + Fries Opens In Danbury

We have a new BFF and it's BBF - Bick's Burgers and Fries.

Yes, Chef Michael Bick of Some Things Fishy Catering and his son Ian have joined together to bring a serious burger joint to downtown Danbury. Since Ian was a sophomore in high school he always lamented the lack of a good burger spot in downtown. Now that Ian's a budding downtown Danbury entrepreneur having recently opened Sky Bar and Lounge, he finally convinced his dad to make his burger dreams happen.

Their spot at 14 Ives Street just feels like the perfect little burger joint. The vibe is reminiscent of a classic 1950s hangout, with red and white pleather seating and a chrome trimmed counter. The menu, however, is 100% modern.

Each 5.5 oz. burger is formed by hand with a special blend of short rib, ground chuck and brisket. The meat has an 75/25 fat to meat ratio for maximum juiciness. Oh yeah, there is nothing low fat about it. These are juice-run-down-your-hand-multi-napkins-required burgers. They're cooked up on a griddle so a nice crust forms on the outside to hold in all the juice, then each burger is finished off with a pat of herbed butter. We can thank Chef Bick's mom for that bit of inspiration.

Want ketchup on your burger? Of course. Well, beyond Heinz 57 there are four kinds of house made ketchups to choose from too: Umami, Southwestern Cactus, Traditional or Chipotle.

You can order a classic cheese burger, choose a special creation or build your own. In addition to the killer burgers, they are two other specialties: a pulled pork sandwich and a fried chicken sandwich. Plus, there are all kinds of toppings and buns, along with salad options and, of course fries. Coming soon are veggie burgers too.

Chef Bick didn't want to open just another burger place. He wanted it to stand out. You can taste his attention to detail in every bite. We were fortunate enough to get a sneak peak taste test at what will be on the menu. If it doesn't make your mouth water, then we don't know what will.

Classic Cheeseburger with housemade traditional ketchup

There's a good bun to meat ratio and most importantly the bun has integrity and doesn't dissolve under all the meaty juiciness. You can really taste the meat it's not masked with all the toppings.

I hate soggy fries. Each of these beauties was perfectly crunchy outside yet soft inside. Just like the burgers balance texture, so do the fries. I could order a batch of the fries as a meal and be content.

Umami Burger with chopped mushrooms on a truffle brioche bun

I braved the world of mushrooms for this burger and I have to admit it wasn't bad. In fact, it was pretty darn good. It's earthy and savory but not overpoweringly so.

Pulled Pork Sandwich with onion marmalade and chipotle sauce

The pulled pork was moist and again the balance of flavor was spot on. Sweet, tangy onion marmalade led the way for the smokey chipotle. Just a heads up: You can also get the pulled pork sandwich with the fireworks slaw instead of the marmalade.

Chef Bick only uses chicken thighs in this sandwich, which they batter and fry twice. The zucchini pickles have a zesty coriander flavor. I loved the colorful, crunchy fireworks slaw made with green and red cabbage, red peppers, jalapeno and chipotle mayo. I'm a big fan of fried chicken sandwiches. This may just become my go-to version.

So, are you hungry yet? Hope so. Get to Bick's Burgers and Fries and help support this new downtown Danbury business. You can eat in, take out or get delivery via Vroom Service!